Pencil-point sharpener



ly 1, 1959 F. J. ANGELQFF 2,895,45

PENCIL-POINT SHARPENER Filed Oct. 2, 1957 JVNVENTIOR." FRANK J. ANGELOFF PENCIL-POINT SHARPENER Frank Jordan Angelolf, New York, NY. Application October 2, 1957, Serial No. 687,764 1 Claim. (Cl. 120-91) My invention relates to pencil sharpeners and particularly to the type of sharpeners as normally employed by draftsmen, designers and artists for the purpose of obtaining a fine pencil point, and the primary object of my invention is to provide a novel and a more eflicient type of pencil-point sharpener than those of the prior art. Another object of my invention is to provide a sharpener which would impart a fine round tapering point to the lead of the pencil by a simple rotary motion of the hand holding the pencil, with the further advantage that the degree of taper can be regulated by the same hand. A still further object of my invention is to provide a pencilpoint sharpener which would be of simple construction, facile maintenance and low cost of manufacture.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. l is a perspective view of the sharpener in an operative condition; Figs. 2 and 4 are perspective views of the various components of the sharpener in a disassembled condition and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross-section through the main portion of the sharpener. In all the views like parts are designated with like symbols.

It will be seen from the illustration that the present pencil sharpener consists essentially of a cup-like form made of metal or plastic which has been transversely bisectionalized into an upper ring-like portion a and a lower, or bottom, portion c. A strip of sand paper or emery cloth b is wedged between the two sections of the cup in a re-assembled condition in such a way that while it envelops exteriorly the lower section, it lines snugly the interior circular surface of the upper section a. The thus formed composite cup is maintained in an operational upright position by being supported by the relatively heavy and broad base d provided with the hollow seat d into which the bottom of the cup c fits snugly. Further stability is assured by the bolt shown in Fig. 4 in combination with the hole in the bottom section 0 and a corresponding threaded hole in the center of the base (not shown), or else by making use of the washer and nut shown in Fig. 4 in the conventional manner. The upper ring-like portion of the cup a is provided with an expanding lip a in order to accommodate the tapering end of the pencil as a whole when the protruding lead or graphite stick is applied to the sandpaper whose height inside the cup is adjusted to barely reach the base of the ied States Pat' expanding lip .41 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It will be readily understood that when the pencil is applied to the sandpaper in the manner just described a circular motion of the hand holding the pencil and a slight pressure against the sandpaper will result in the graphite rod being ground to a perfectly round tapering shape or point, and that the degree of taper will depend partly on the length of the salient graphite stick and mainly on the angle at which the pencil is being held against the sandpaper surface. When the sandpaper is worn out a simple pressure on the top of the cup will cause the latter to collapse; a new strip of sandpaper is then inserted between a and c while in a collapsed condition; this is followed by pulling a against 0 which will result in the sandpaper becoming jammed between the two sections of the cup. The dimensions of the sandpaper strip b need not be very exact, provided they allow for its becoming wedged between a and c and for its reaching to the base of the expanding lip a. In order to allow for one-handed operation, the base d should be made either of heavy metal, such as cast iron, or of plastic loaded with lead. Besides the advantages of ease of maintenance and of ease of opera tion, as above set forth, the advantage of low cost of manufacture should also be pointed out. This latter derives from the fact that once the proper dies for the cup sections a and 0 have been manufactured, said sections can be stamped out of metal or formed of plastic material in large quantities allowing for a low cost of manufacture and a low sales price. An additional advantage deriving from the use of my sharpener consists in the fact that the graphite dust or waste resulting from the sharpening of the pencil instead of being strewn over the floor, as is generally the case when more primitive types of sharpeners are used, is collected in the cup for ready and proper elimination.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new is:

A pencil pointer comprising a base, a first hollow cup shaped frusto-conical member, a circular end wall integrally formed on the end of smaller diameter of said first member, means extending centrally through said end wall detachably securing said first member to said base, a second hollow frusto-conical member of substantially the same taper as said first hollow frusto-conical member having its smaller end of a diameter greater than the smaller end but less than the larger end of said first memher, said second member surrounding said first member, a strip of abrasive material around said first member having a portion thereof frictionally held between said first and second members, and an abrasive portion of said strip extending beyond said first member into and supported by said second member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

